The Making of a Dugout Canoe - Wolf Valley Forge

In this video, Ike from Wolf Valley Forge uses his own handforged axes and tools to make a dugout canoe. Check out WolfValleyForge.com for more information about his five axe models, designed, tested, and made for the rugged outdoorsman.

[@MacBo-lh8dm]

hand crafted, no electric bs! Such dedication! love it!

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

Thank you so much for watching!

[@paulyiouvanoglou7138]

I love showing this to my middle school History class...you helped a lot of kids over the years see what hand crafting talent looks like.

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

@paulyiouvanoglou7138 Oh, that's so great! That humbles me greatly that you would choose to share this. Thank you so much for writing and sharing this!

[@debradell4502]

Fantastic, Ike! You make it look easy. What an accomplishment!

[@YfelTheRealEmeraldKing]

This has to be the coolest canoe build ever.

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

Thank you so much!!😁 I really appreciate your comment and so glad you enjoyed!

[@blazerwilliams2260]

Nice man. I started on one in my teens and never finished. I'm now pushing 40 so I'm gonna go ahead and start another. I'm alot more motivated these days plus I will be able to video the steps.

[@lelandvaughan4429]

Absolutely go and tackle it, I'm sure you'll love it!

[@ironwallaby8189]

I come back to this every now and again, so awesome!

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

Thank you so much, Iron Wallaby! So glad you enjoy it!

[@joshuamlodzik4449]

So gooood!!! Why doesn’t this have more likes?

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

😁 Thanks so much for watching!

[@SouthwoodsSurvivalAcademy]

You make me proud to be an outdoor man. Waiting for one of your hatchets now. Can't wait to see it.

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

Thanks so much, Mr. Jonathan!! I hope you've really been enjoying your little axe! Thank you so much for your enthusiastic support!

[@MotorcycleMouse]

I recently picked up a magazine and it had your company in it. I teach survival and was very interested in your accomplishment great job! I may also order a belt axe from you in the future.

[@401KDexters]

Great job!

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

Thank you so much, @401KDexters! I appreciate your comment!

[@larryeddings3185]

Beautifully done, sir.

[@urbanlumberjack]

Really awesome project! Enjoyed the video. Dugouts are awesome, I think I read somewhere that natives and mountain men would submerge the dugouts underwater if they needed to be stirred for long period of time, like winter. Apparently they would last for years and years!

[@DebrisDiver]

Dang. This has to be the most lovingly made dugout canoe I've seen on youtube so far. Beautiful, man!

[@knot4man]

Nice job, beautiful canoe. Good tools well handled. I made mine of California Redwood. Hand tools only. People would ask first if I made it, then how long did it take? Don't know. My second dugout is almost finished - I only started it in 1983, ha ha!

[@jeremyksullivan]

That’s awesome! But it doesn’t really turn into a boat until you get some fish slime on it! 😂

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

😉Thank you so much for watching and commenting, @jeremyksullivan!!

[@dr.blumpkin2129]

Bought a homemade pirouge s while back been wanting to make my own ever sense , nice video thanks for the upload😎

[@hunter5502000]

My great grandpa used to make them and I still have most of his old tools. I'm gonna find a nice cypress tree and try to make my own.

[@johnphillips4708]

One of the better ones I’ve seen, gj!

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

Thank you so much for the comment, @John Phillips!!

[@thecount1001]

nice design, it's a beauty.

[@MrDacedric]

Wow that must have taken a lot of hard work, end result is fantastic.

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

Thanks so much!! I appreciate you watching!

[@Yayafarm]

This is incredible!

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

@Kristina W Thank you so much for watching and commenting!

[@KnifeCrazzzzy]

Absolutely amazing and inspiring! 🔥🙌🏻🔥

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

@Adventures with Conrad Thank you so much for watching!!

[@oldsagerat]

I was waiting to see you lift it. What do you think it weighs ?

[@RicardoBelle-eq4ix]

Great job brother, but how long did it take you to build.

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

It was a really great project! I worked on it here and there over a winter season, in the evenings and on work breaks. So, it took me around 5 months at that pace.☺ Thank you for commenting, sir!

[@whiteheadcustomcrafts3555]

love it my friend you just got me as a new sub well done

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

@Whitehead Custom Crafts Thank you so much!! I really appreciate that subscribe and comment!

[@whiteheadcustomcrafts3555]

@@wolfvalleyforge2204 i will be making a dug out canoe on my channel soon you should check it out

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

@@whiteheadcustomcrafts3555 Super cool!! Thanks so much for the heads up!

[@СергійАлтиннік]

SUPER SUPER SUPER. ОЧЕНЬ КРАСИВО МОЛОДЕЦ. ИНТИРЕСНО МНЕ БИЛО СМОТРЕТЬ НА ТВОЙ КАНОЙ. 👍

[@KadeStringer2.0]

How did you make that nice stain on the boat

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

@KadeStringer2.0 Thank you for the comment! It's more or less the natural color of the wood. I did rub it down with a mixture of beeswax and pine resin and flamed it, so that it would soak in.

[@cthesavage]

Nice

[@mari069g]

What is the tool used at 2:27 called? Im making at Dugout Canoe and could really use that kind of tool.

[@ROE1300]

👍 Very nice canoe. Are you to start selling them as well? 😂😂😂 Very good demonstration of what can be accomplished with a good axe and sister tools.

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

Thank you so much for the comment!! I am still selling the axes. :) I really appreciate your support!

[@ROE1300]

@@wolfvalleyforge2204 👍 Best axes made anywhere. But I am shamelessly biased, I own 3 of them! 😀

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

@@ROE1300 Thank you soooo much for your business + enthusiastic support!! It's fine folks like you that make me love doing what I do!!

[@brandonvessell4659]

Couldnt you do it easier with embers? Control burn hollow.Id assume thats how my ancestors did it without access to metal axes.

[@KinoQuint]

Ya got me to subscribe. Looks great!

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

Thank you so much for watching and subscribing!

[@kimsutton2268]

What kind of wood did you use to make it out of

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

@kimsutton2268 Hello!! It was a Linden tree, also known as Basswood. Thank you so much for watching and commenting!

[@kimsutton2268]

@@wolfvalleyforge2204 ok thanks for the information

[@AlyxAesthetics]

What's that curved tool you used to shave off the excess wood. I need it

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

I actually don't know what the technical name for the tool is. I made mine and decided, since I didn't know what the name was, I was free to name it myself. :) So I call it a Round Knife. Thanks for the comment!

[@alcenofolchini6971]

When my friend and me had to cross a river, we had a canoe like that, the river was 2 metre deep and about 60 meters wide, fast water so we pointed it to and go up river and cross doing an S, but the problem we had to cross with a horse, of course the animal cross it swimming, I roll the rope around my hand and pull the horse but he decided to go back and run up the river bank with me, took some skin off my hand, but after some attempts we did it, I was 12 that time.

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

Wow, that sounds like an exciting trip for sure! Thanks for sharing!

[@bencuri]

What is that stuff that they are melting to fill the cracks?

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

@bencuri Hey there! It is a mixture of beeswax and pine resin. Thank you so much for watching!

[@mrs.chandler9384]

Do you let the wood dry out first, or are you digging it out with “wet” wood?

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

Good afternoon! Thank you for commenting. I started on it when it was wet wood. It was in the wintertime when the tree was cut, so the sap wasn't too high. I started right in on it, and by the time the canoe was finished, it had dried out pretty good. Thanks for watching!

[@mrs.chandler9384]

Wolf Valley Forge Thank you for the reply.

[@mitchporter1386]

You think you could hollow out the nose and the stern? It would probably drop a few extra lbs and increase storage space. Would that compromise the structure of it? Also, what did you do for drying out the log/canoe? Could improper precautions in drying create checks or warps?

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

Hey! Thank you so much for watching. The whole process took about 5 months from start to finish, just working on it a few minutes in the evenings. Would have been a lot faster if I had used a chainsaw. :) The log was drying as I went, so by the time I put the finish and filled the checks in the ends, it had already split about as much as it was going to. It has lightened up some since then, but the checks haven't gotten any bigger, and the filling seems to be holding up just fine. This was a very fun project. If you ever get a change to give it a try, I highly recommend it. Thanks again! -Ike

[@namarcamusic]

Great job! How long did it take?

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

Hey there, thanks for commenting! The canoe took about 5 months overall to make, but that just working a little along, in between regular work in the shop. It was a great wintertime project. :)

[@namarcamusic]

@@wolfvalleyforge2204 fantastic! Even though it looked like a lot of hard work, it's a very motivating video.

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

@@namarcamusic Thank you so much!! I'm so glad you enjoyed it.

[@88bsthomas]

About how many hours did that take you?

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

Hey there, thank you for the comment! I worked on the canoe throughout the winter, mostly on breaks from work. It would have gone a lot faster if I had been full-time with it!! But, I enjoyed working on it over a course of about 5 months. Thank you again, and have a great day!

[@juangarcia-xs8oo]

Deberias de explicar como consigues darles el mismo grueso , cuando rebajas el interior como sabes el grueso definitivo?

[@leanagermain1014]

What is the exact substance you have used (resin? if so what exactly and mixed with what)

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

Yes, that was resin that I poured in the checks on both ends. For the finish on the rest of the canoe, I used a mixture of pine resin and beeswax. Thanks for watching!

[@jackryan702]

What kind of tree was it made from?

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

Hey there! It was a Linden tree, also known as Basswood. Thank you for your comment, Mr. Jack!

[@wildermanoutdoors8485]

What knife are you wearing in this video?

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

Hey there Jon! Thank you for commenting. That would be my Jack Jr. from Lucas Forge. You might enjoy checking him out over at lucasforge.com! :)

[@wildermanoutdoors8485]

@@wolfvalleyforge2204 Thanks Ike!

[@toddhendricks1727]

About how many hours of labor would you say?

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

Thank you so much for commenting! I worked on it over a course of about 5 months, but just off and one between work. It was a really great winter-time project!

[@robin4650]

Very nice! What kind of wood did you use?

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

Thank you for commenting, Robin! It was a Linden tree, also known as Basswood.

[@robin4650]

@@wolfvalleyforge2204 thank you!

[@blueishsquid4290]

How long did it take you

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

Thanks for commenting, Miles! The whole project took about 5 months, from start to finish. But that was mostly just working on it a few minutes in the evenings, or in between work. Definitely a great winter project!! :)

[@AlyxAesthetics]

Ughhhh so annoying. Why can't I like this more than once 😭

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

😁 I'm so glad you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for watching!!

[@rvtruscott]

How old are you?

[@michellewoollard7526]

Yos please!

[@steventanner1428]

You have tall gunwales. Why wouldn't you steam and spread the sides. It would give you more room and make the boat more stable. Not that it is not beautiful the way it is.

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

Thanks for your comment! That's definitely an idea. Maybe something to keep in mind for next time.

[@bahcreativeone1922]

Click here for more 👇 kzbin.info/door/pEHhIgxhW1UgaTuejFmhlg

[@bubbadias9308]

If I was going to pay you to make me a canoe would you do it

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

@Bubba Dias Thank you so much for your comment! If you would like to contact me personally, we can see what we can work out. www.wolfvalleyforge.com/contact-us/ Thanks so much!

[@thecount1001]

just a few hours work...

[@haneu11]

KZbin recommendation in south korea

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

Thank you for watching!

[@Georgij572]

круто!

[@ignatkurt985]

Кайф

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

Thank you for the comment! :)

[@tobyque9399]

Nice work, shouldn't you wear safety goggles?

[@TanLe-xm4wh]

Hello

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

Thank you for watching our videos!

[@sulaymanguemraui720]

S a l o m o n sliman larach good dezayner 11,11

[@user-dk4ir6hn9n]

Amazing! But notice the youth of this man. . . .old guys can't to this. This is back breaking and long long hours of intense labor and patience. And basically he did this with a traditional tool that was used 400 years ago or something very similar to it. . . No power tools. Just him and his favorite buddy (his dog) Yes it's a young man's game.

[@will904420]

Shut up

[@davechavezjr5399]

So, with these fancy axes and other very sharp tools to accomplish this. How did the Native American cultures accomplish this type of canoe with much less similar tools at their disposal? Not very impressive when you take this into account!

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

@davechavezjr5399 The work of the Native Americans and all of the folks who blazed the trails and pioneered this country truly are amazing! I imagine they would have built many of their own tools. Very amazing, knowledged people out there! And while I did build these adze and round knife that I used for this canoe as well (part of the fun of the challenge!), I know they didn't have the same propane forge and power tools for sharpening that I do today. Thank you for watching!

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

Thanks so much for all the comments everyone! It was a wonderful project. If you've ever thought about building a dugout, I highly recommend you give it a try.

[@The__Outlaw]

That is a lot of work Mr. Wolf. Was wondering what the man hours were in creating this amazing canoe ?

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

@@The__Outlaw Thank you for your comment! It's hard to say exactly, since I mostly worked on it in the evenings, or in between work. But it was about 5 months in the making, from start to finish. A great winter project!! :)

[@hitituprohb]

This is neat man. Keep up the good work. Any chance I could talk you into making one with built in backrests? I bet you could make a leisure-dugout.

[@stevesoutdoorworld4340]

Nice job! How many hours did you have in that build?

[@n40tom]

Just think that only took 5 minutes and thirty three seconds. Wow you are really fast my friend. Great boat and great video thank you. Take care

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

If only! ;) Thank you so much for your comment!! You have a great day.

[@jaifethroberts4193]

@@wolfvalleyforge2204 How long did it take?

[@NattyMcCool777]

Except for the blowtorch that was done with an incredible understanding of ancient wood working techniques. A fantastic video. How would the resin be set properly without the use of a blowtorch? I wonder, maybe using an open fire.

[@boriserjavec6470]

that's beautiful, did you enjoy working on it?

[@shanewillaims]

What kind of wood is that

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

@shanewillaims Thank you so much for your comment! It was a Linden tree, also known as Basswood.

[@coymckenzie4903]

Its a diamond in the rougj

[@kingrex593]

what wood did you use please and what is the approx length ?

[@veronikalugitsch]

Wow what beautiful work and very beautiful video!

[@dubbie001]

Amazing work well done I want to build one now

[@Kyoimanu]

❤❤❤😊😊😊

[@MrJustonemorevoice]

What kind of wood is that?

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

@MrJustonemorevoice It was a Linden tree, also known as Basswood. Thank you so much for watching!

[@anarchyking66698]

Whats the weight of that beautiful dug out canoe?

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

@anarchyking66698 It ended up weighing about 180 lbs. finished. Thank you so much for your comment!

[@monsterboithebigboiofthewest]

How much does it weigh

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

It ended up weighing about 180 lbs. finished. Thank you so much for your comment!

[@niajones8632]

love the trousers

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

Thank you, sir! :)

[@jaifethroberts4193]

I wanna see this guy does a canoeing trip

[@johnmarkeby4047]

Wow

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

Thank you for watching!

[@michellewoollard7526]

Also nice dugout!😁

[@imdo301]

Excellent job

[@АлександрЕвгеньевичУшаков]

Неплохо, но по другой технологии, в середине оставался запас чтобы борта можно было отогнуть это предавало лодке большую устойчивость

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

Thank you for your thoughts and feedback.

[@АлександрЕвгеньевичУшаков]

@@wolfvalleyforge2204 kzbin.info/www/bejne/nJPLgXyBYtR1rKM здесь показана эта технология

[@IdahoBrotherInChrist]

Great work

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

Thank you so much!

[@Rustyshackleford85]

That's amazing.

[@wolfvalleyforge2204]

Thank you, Terry!! Thanks for watching!